1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to agricultural vehicles such as combines and windrowers, and, more particularly, to reel systems used in such vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
An agricultural harvester known as a “combine” is historically termed such because it combines multiple harvesting functions with a single harvesting unit, such as picking, threshing, separating and cleaning. A combine includes a header which removes the crop from a field, and a feeder housing which transports the crop matter into a threshing rotor. The threshing rotor rotates within a perforated housing, which may be in the form of adjustable concaves and performs a threshing operation on the crop to remove the grain. Once the grain is threshed it falls through perforations in the concaves onto a grain pan. From the grain pan the grain is cleaned using a cleaning system, and is then transported to a grain tank onboard the combine. A cleaning fan blows air through the sieves to discharge chaff and other debris toward the rear of the combine. Non-grain crop material, such as straw, from the threshing section proceeds through a residue system, which may utilize a straw chopper to process the non-grain material and direct it out the rear of the combine. When the grain tank becomes full, the combine is positioned adjacent a vehicle into which the grain is to be unloaded, such as a semi-trailer, gravity box, straight truck, or the like; and an unloading system on the combine is actuated to transfer the grain into the vehicle.
The header performs the task of ingathering of the crop material, and for small grain the header typically includes tines that contact some of the crop material to ensure that it engages a cutter bar. In the case of a combine, the cut crop material is moved toward a transport mechanism which takes the crop material to the threshing system. Headers can also be included on other agricultural processing systems, such as windrowers, to cut hay or small grain crops and form the cut crop material into a windrow that is deposited on the ground for drying. The tines can be mounted to a beam, such as a tube, linked to a rotating element, such as a shaft, to rotate the tines and direct crop material toward the cutter bar and transport mechanism. To control pivoting of the tines as they rotate, the tine tube is typically linked to a cam, such as a roller, that follows a cam track mounted to the header.
One problem with known reel cam systems is the cam track typically has a portion which extends in front of the tube linked to the rotating element. During operation of the header, the front-most portion of the cam track extending out past the tube impedes crop flow to the cutter bar and transport mechanism. This impediment lowers the crop material gathering rate of the header.
What is needed in the art is a reel/cam system the keeps the cam track away from the crop material as crop material is being gathered.